The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-01-21

All the penal und reformatory institutions, In
ciuoing tho penitentiary, the industrial 70
iormatory. and reform school, should be unde
inc supervision Of one board. composed Of no
moro than 1ve members. One member Of eacl
OF these two boards, It's chairman or it, secre
tary, should devote his entire time to sucl
duties OF visitation, auditing accounts, inspect
ing supplies and property. etc., a. might be de
volved upon him BY law. and the mileage sys
; tenn should b abolished.
1HH MILEAGE sYsTHM.
Tho payment Of members Of State boards o,
ctner onicers under the mileage system IL ex
travagant aud vicious, and should b entirely
abolished Il has nothing to recommend IT, II
is unjust alike to the public and 70 the oflcer1
VINO - thus paid. subjecting the State 70 I'M
necessary expense, and its servants 70 un-
morited suspicion and criticism.
Every member Of State board should b
paid liberal per diem for services, and neces-
sary expenses while travelling TO Or returning
from meetangs. Every provision Of law which
allows any o6cer or employe Of the State mile
ago payments. should be ct once repealed
PRUuINflARY.
The report Of the directors Of the penitentiazy,
including the reports Of the warden, superin-
tendent Of coal mine and other officers OF that
institution, are submitted herewith They pre-
| sent in detail tho condition and work of the
penitentiary during the last biennial period, and
| furnish estimates Of its needs for the future.
The necessity for female prison and ward for
| the insane 10 apparent. The institution u
crowded beyond capacity. On the LIST Of July,
1884 It contained s51 prisoners July 1885, this
\ number had increased to $40; July !, 1886, to
| $50; and on the LIST Of January, 1881, the number
! wss 96< There are only 7N cells in the institu-
ton, so that In each Of 254 cells two prisoners
are placed.
The penitentiary continues self-sustaining
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885, the
! earnings aggregated si20. 1851; expenditures,
sis. .02; excess of earnings. 80, 1855 For
the fiscal year ending June 20. 1880. the earnings
aggregated sac, 1901; expenditures e1G9 51971 !;
excess Of earnings SOL EOS d. Excess Of earnings
over expenditures during the two fiscal years,
S93, All y. In the expenditures, too counted
total Of sa5, las O4 for permanent improvements,
so that the earnings of the institution, during
the last biennial period, really exceeded its ex-
penditure Sl3S.6OOso. The total cost of main
tanning the prisoners, including salaries, board
ing, clothing, bedding and all other expenses
properly charged to maintenance, has also been
steadily reduced.
THE STATE RErORxAroRY.
One wing Of the new industrial reformatory at
Hutchinson is nearly completed, and the Legis-
| lature should make provision for organizing its
official force, and for the erection Of the admin
istration and other necessary buildings. In ny
special message Of 1885 expressed my warm
approval Of the purpose Of this institution, and
M belief that not onehalf of the prisoners sem
fenced to confinement IN the penltentlary
naturally belong to the criminal classes. Their
age, the nature Of their oflenses, the light SEN
fences imposed on many Of them. and the fro
quent appeals made in their behalf for executive
clemency by judges, prosecuting attorneys and
jurors, oil justify the belief that hundreds of
these youthful law-breakers might by Judi
cious course Of discipline and training be re-
claimed and reformed. therefore regard the
establishment Of the industrial reformatory as
marking new era In the administration Of JUS
tice, and sincerely hope that the Legislature
will make ample provisions for equipping, open
ing aud completing it.
THE SUPREME COURT
A delay Of justice is often an absolute Genial
Of justice. The docket Of tho Supreme Court is
so overburdcned that, In many instances, long,
expensive and vexatious delays attend the final
adjudication Of cases brought before that tribu.
nal Nearly six hundred cases arc now on its
docket, and over thirty new cases arc fled each
month. Tho three Justices constituting the
court are not able to dispose Of moro than three
hundred cases each year, and tho undecided
cases are, therefore, steadily Increasing. It is
evident that some relief should DO Afforded.
When our constitution was adopted Kansas had
only ono hundred thousand Inhabitants thirty.
two organized counties, and 1--WE judicial dis
tricts; we have now so, 900 Inhabitants, ninety
eight organized counties, and twonty-four IA.
dicial districts. Every order. decroe or tudg-
ment entered In these inferior courts, whether
the amount involved IS large or small, can DO
taken to the Supreme Court for review. When
all these facts are considered, IL must DO ap-
parent that tho Justices Of the Supreme Court |
have imposed upon them such labors ~, with |
due regard TOR the Investigation and study nee |
essary to arrive at just judgments, can not be |
performed. An Amendment to tho Constitu- |
ton, proposing IN increase in the number of |
Supreme Court Judges, was voted down ut the |
recent election by On overwhelming majority. |
The court can, however, be relieved in another |
way, and ~ithout expense to the taxpayers. II |
appeals y civil cases were limited, the bust |
ness OF the Supreme Court might be largely de- |
creased. have asccrtaned that nearly one |
fourth Of the cases now fled in that court in.
volve sums Of less than two hundred and fifty |
dollars. very large proportion Of these cases
are taken up either to obtain delay. or because
of bad feeling between the parties litigant. No
public or private interest Is benefited, nor are |
the ends Of justice subserved, by such n system
OF jurisprudence. It seems to me that no civil ,
case where the Judgment rendered is less than
two hundred and fifty dollars. should be prose-
cutcd by q writ of error in the Supreme Court,
unless it involves somo pubic matter, or i'm
pcrtant law question.
LAWS AND SUPREME COURT REPORTS
Provision should be made for electrotyping |
the laws Of the State and the Supreme Court.
reports. as they are printed. go that new eGi-
tons can be published to meet the demands Of
the future. The cost OF electrotypng these vol.
unes would be small and its necessity is ap-
p9rnt. There are no volumes OF the Kansas
laws now in charge of tho State Librarian for
sale. Even the edition OF the session laws of
1855 was long ago exhausted. OF the Supreme
Court reports, volumes one 70 twcnty-eight arc
out OF print. Volumes one to seventeen have
been printed by private dealers, to meet the de-
n,and for them The sale Of these laws and re-
ports is source Of profit, not of expense, to the
State, and there is always . demand Tor q much
larger number than Is printed.
TIE DISTRICT COURTS
Two years ago I called the attention of the
Legislature to the necessity for IN equitable I
division Of the State into judicial districts. We
have now twenty-four district judges, and il
their labors were fairly appor.ioncd not ore OF
them would be ovor5urderec. and all tho legal
business OF the State could be promptly and
lairly dispatched. But as the judicial districts
are now formed, several OF the judges have
abundant leisure. while Others, holding courts
every month, are unable to keep their dockets
:lear. A general redistrc:iEg OF the State ]
Hould avoid the necessity Of creating new dis
.ricts, and thus prevent an increase Of judicial